Why Seattle's offense will improve

SEATTLE -- A botched Monday night officiating call delivering the Seattle Seahawks to victory against an NFC North opponent at CenturyLink Field? Nothing new.

Another commonality across these disputed Seahawks victories: Seattle totaled three offensive touchdowns in wins against the Lions on Monday night and in the "Fail Mary" game against the Packers in 2012. This is a trend more recently as well, inviting questions about the Seahawks' viability against good teams. Seattle over the past two weeks combined for two offensive TDs in victories over the Lions and Chicago Bears. Those teams have allowed a combined 20 offensive touchdowns in six games against other opponents this season.

How problematic are the Seahawks' issues on offense? Bad enough, most likely, for the 2-2 Seahawks to dip beneath .500 after visiting the 4-0 Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5. This will be one of those 10 a.m. PT games that feel more difficult for West Coast teams, and it will be played on a short week as well. But even if this Seattle offense goes from bad to worse in the short term, there are reasons to think the Seahawks will possess the late-season firepower they'll need to make another Super Bowl push.

Let's take a look.

Offense has needed time, by design

It's not a cliché when Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talks about finishing. Kam Chancellor's forced fumble to save the game Monday night was an obvious example, but there are subtler ones explaining why Seattle's offense -- and the rest of the team, for that matter -- has finished seasons better than it has started them. Carroll enthusiastically puts young players on the field and sticks with them through growing pains until the players develop.

Carroll's 2012 decision to start quarterback Russell Wilson as a rookie comes to mind. Wilson struggled through his first several starts, but Carroll stuck with him. By season's end, Wilson was an emerging star, and Seattle was in the playoffs.

The Seahawks also have played young offensive linemen over the years. That is true this season. The team also has multiple converted defensive linemen playing up front, including fresh convert Drew Nowak at center. When I asked Carroll about the overall depth of his roster early in training camp, he surprisingly began his answer by lauding the talent assembled on the offensive line. That line has struggled mightily so far this season, but if anyone has credibility on player development, it is Carroll.

The stats in the chart below show how dramatically Seattle's offensive production has improved over the second halves of the past three seasons. Scoring has jumped by 5.4 points per game.

Don't forget Beast Mode

The Seahawks have gotten almost nothing from Marshawn Lynch through four games. The offensive line and play calling could be culprits there, but calf and hamstring injuries were the problem Monday night. Lynch watched the game from a suite. He worked out lightly before the game and isn't expected to miss an extended period. His return would change the season-long outlook for any team.

They'll figure out Jimmy Graham

Seattle sometimes seems slow to adapt offensively. The team's Week 2 game at Green Bay comes to mind. It was obvious throughout the first half that a running component from Wilson would be needed to loosen up the Packers' defense, but that did not happen until the second half, when it was nearly too late. Also in that game, Seattle oddly kept tight end Jimmy Graham in the formation as a pass protector while sending the other eligible receivers streaking down the field. Wilson's pass narrowly eluded 5-foot-10 receiver Doug Baldwin. Think the 6-foot-7 Graham might have had a shot at it?

A veteran NFL offensive coach singled out Seattle's usage of Graham on that play as an example of the team not having an enterprising plan for the talented receiving tight end. The hunch here is that Carroll and/or his offensive staff will eventually abandon the thinking that they would simply plug Graham into their offense and ask him to run their existing plays. They need to feature him, obviously, and that simply is not happening well enough right now. Carroll is too skilled as a coach to let that happen forever. Graham has too much to offer an offense that is struggling. Expect to see more of him.

The road ahead

Seattle's next two opponents (Cincinnati, Carolina) are a combined 8-0, but the Panthers must visit CenturyLink. The Seahawks then play winnable road games against San Francisco and Dallas.

Even with an inconsistent offense, the Seahawks could realistically win three of their next four to reach 5-3 heading into their Week 9 bye. Recent history suggests their offense will start hitting stride right about then -- just in time for the stretch run.